Notebook Action- Clip, Copy, Collect

 My writer’s notebook  is a place where I frequently clip and copy artifacts to stimulate my collection of writing ideas. It is a collection zone. I am constantly recording passages and extracts from my reading. These are words I wish I had written. These are words that make my heart sing. They are words that stretch across the emotional spectrum. Loving, tender, insightful, biting and honest words speak to me.  I add my responses to these words. They evoke reaction.
My eyes, my ears, and my heart are engaged in this ongoing search.



I copy down poetic lines. I paste images from newspapers, magazines and my own photographic experiences. These images inspire more ideas. I combine images and words. I eagerly embrace the rich possibilities that present when text and image connect.



I clip powerful descriptive passages into my notebook. I want these words to soak into me. I am inspired to greater effort by the words of fellow writers. If I tap into the style of writers I admire, I begin  to write under their influence. We imitate then innovate.



Occasionally, I sketch images or draw maps or plans in my notebook. It provides additional fodder for my writing. They are memory markers.


So, my notebook is a hybrid collection of ideas. My own words and ideas gather alongside the rich stimulus provided by my various collaborators.




Comments

  1. Unknown6 July 2018 at 20:11

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous24 December 2018 at 02:59

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous24 December 2018 at 12:08

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous26 December 2018 at 13:50

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous27 December 2018 at 23:36

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous3 January 2019 at 22:03

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous5 January 2019 at 19:27

    Incredible points. Great arguments. Keep up the good effort.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous13 June 2019 at 10:42

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous15 June 2019 at 10:53

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not eve...
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers...
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intentio...
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to...
Read more

Exploring Themes in Poetry With Emerging Writers

Image
There is so much more to poetry than haiku and acrostics. Yet, so many young poets never get to experience the rich breadth of poetry beyond these highly structured forms. Why? Primarily, it’s about their teachers comfort levels with poetry. We often teach to what we know, meaning that being adventurous and taking young poets into new realms is not part of the poetic landscape for many. This sells young poets and poetry itself short. Last week I had the pleasure to again work with a group of young poets from Derrimut Primary School grade 5/6 in Melbourne’s west. We have been exploring patterns and repetition in poetry. We have explored personification as a literary device to develop the writing of poetry. We delved into the idea of writing through a mask to provide inanimate and animate entities with a voice. They told stories in words from their own perspective. On this occasion we again went to the edges and began to explore poetry through themes. We discussed a range ...
Read more